10-Let's go on an adventure!

Gerald, let's go on an adventure!

One morning.

I was sitting at the breakfast table and my dad said to me.

--

It had already been three months since I'd learned to use magic.

I had memorized most of the spells in my spellbook and spent my days helping out at home, reheating soup, drying laundry on rainy days, and making fires with the wood I used to cook.

Then my dad said, "Let's go on an adventure! I was invited to come to the forest that day, and we came to the forest together.

''This isn't an adventure, this is more of a hike...''

As I walked through the grove of trees that stretched between them, I muttered in front of a scene that was too idyllic to be called an 'adventure'.

'Don't say that,'

I guess that's all you can say.

Well, let's not get into the details. An adventure is an adventure.

This father is usually a rather steady and hard-working man, but sometimes he has a strange childlike quality to him.

It's just that he can be so serious and headstrong.

Anyway, why did you say you wanted to come here all of a sudden?

Yeah?　Oh well, that's okay, Gerald. It's quite fun to walk around a place like this once in a while.

Apparently there's no particular reason. But I nodded in agreement with my dad.

I'm ashamed to admit that in my previous life I had never done anything like hiking. At most, I went hiking at school.

And because I didn't have any friends, I didn't remember enjoying it because I was alone in the line.

But now it's different.

If I look up, I can see the branches and leaves shining through the sunlight. The light pouring down on the ground cast strange shadows, as if it were a painting painted directly on the ground.

The occasional breeze that blew through the air was just right, neither too cold nor too warm.

Inhaling deeply, the scent of the forest filled my chest. It is said that the forest is filled with magical power, but I see, even the taste of the air is different from the air I usually breathe.

'Look, Gerald. There's a bird over there.'

I was enjoying the view and looked up at my dad's words. I saw a small blue feathered bird perched on a branch at the end of my dad's finger.

If I had been walking alone, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. But because I was with my dad and someone I felt close to, I was able to see things I couldn't see on my own.

Isn't that kind of a wonderful thing? When I think about it, just walking down the street with my dad makes me feel great.

Hmmm. You're right. What can I say, it's nice, isn't it?

I said this as I looked at the unusual color of the bird, and my dad nodded.

Right?　It's good to take a leisurely stroll once in a while to discover things that you wouldn't be able to in your normal life. Besides, unlike dungeons, demons rarely appear in this area. Even if they do appear, it's only the lowest class of monsters that do little or no harm.

A dungeon?　Do you have a place for that?

The word "dungeon" inspired me to ask such a question.

Of course. A dungeon is........oh no. Let's just sit down at random, for now.

We came to a spot just off the open road.

We put our backpacks on the ground and sat down in a suitable spot.

Then he pulled out a water bottle and some snacks from his pack and talked to me about the dungeon.

''Well. What shall we talk about first?

Dad's story begins.

There are places called dungeons in various parts of the world.

It is said that demons are born there that harm human beings every day, attacking neighboring towns and villages.

In the past, there was a powerful demon tribe called the "sealed unit". They couldn't be killed, no matter how many wounds were inflicted on them, so humanity decided to give up on defeating them and seal them up somewhere else.

The site where the "Designated Sealers" were sealed is said to be the forerunner of the current dungeon.

Even though it was sealed, the evil spirit that flowed out of it eventually changed its shape and transformed into a dungeon and then into the current demon.

It is said that the demons that fell from the dungeons created in this way began to attack humans.

By the way, 'demon' generally refers to the sealed individual, and 'demon' seems to refer to the monsters that appear in the dungeon.

''It wasn't long before the country's knights and soldiers couldn't cope with them alone. That's why the country set up an adventurer system and opened an adventurer's town near the dungeon to gather adventurers in order to counter the threat of demons.

Um, you mean, the country set up an adventurer's town and brought people there?

Yes. And a bunch of wastrels. I hear some of them were sorcerers.

The people who gathered in this way began to hunt demons for rewards.

Among the adventurers, sorcerers are the most active. It's a good thing that the sorcerer's success is overwhelming among adventurers, for he can use large-scale, wide-ranging magic to round up demons, or use magic to instantly kill enemies that swords and spears can't attack. That's why being an adventurer is a sorcerer's calling.

But isn't it dangerous?

Dad nods at my words.

'Of course, there are dangers involved. But there is now more information about the system and demons. I hear that as long as you take all the necessary precautions and don't try anything crazy, you won't be dying so much anymore.

Apparently there is no substitute for the fact that information is a big advantage regardless of the time and place.

I understand.

But I don't really want to be an adventurer.

Really?　I think my dad has dreams and romance and adventure, and I think he's fascinating.

But Dad. Do you think he's just gonna leave us in the dungeon?

I wouldn't think so. You are my greatest treasure. And my home is the jewel box where I keep my treasures.

I know I sound smug, but, Dad, that line makes my back itch a lot.

Well, we've talked a lot. Let's go home before it gets too late. It's hard to get in a good mood every night when it's late and Cecil is sulking.

Is that a bedtime story?　How do you keep up your good mood?

...For now, let's try not to imagine too much.